


Icebreaker Games & Free Time Fun

by keithpoenewt



Series: High School Senior Year AU [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Corex AU, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Der - Freeform, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gay Keith (Voltron), He's so in love, High School AU, Human Shay (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, LOL BIACHES HE SHOWS IT BIG TIME HERE, Lance (Voltron) Angst, M/M, POV Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pre-Relationship, Senior year, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, goals goals goals, gotta put that in lol, i'm love him, it's a 3 day camp really, lmao that's an understatement, not even kidding, or retreat, senior year retreat, they're happy at the end of this part, you'll probably need to go to the dentist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 11:17:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11690520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keithpoenewt/pseuds/keithpoenewt
Summary: Ever went to a camp and you had to play stupid games like two truths and a lie or never have I ever? Well, aren't they just the worst?Keith thinks so! He'd rather be doinganythingelse over this (I mean who wouldn't, am I right?) A stupid version of Heads Up, never have I ever, two truths and a lie, and worst of all: the human knot. Bleh.At least after lunch they get some free time to do whatever they want. Keith definitely will beat everyone at GaGa Ball and have a blast playing in the waves...Or will his crush get in the way?





	Icebreaker Games & Free Time Fun

**Author's Note:**

> TWO FOR ONE! This originally was going to be two separate parts, but I decided to put them together...you're welcome. 
> 
> Guys this is the fluffiest thing I ever wrote in my ENTIRE life. Plz be proud.
> 
> Okay there's a lil angst, but the fluff overpowers it by a landslide (promise)
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

**Corex Day 1, Late Morning:**

Keith waits with the rest of his group members at a picnic table for someone to make an announcement. A few guys are shooting hoops on the basketball court while some of the girls sit on the benches to watch them. Basketball never really peaked Keith's interest. He played it in grade school but didn't find it very fun.

“KOGANE! THINK FAST!” someone yells behind him.

Keith whirls around and sees a football soaring through the air, straight for his face. He barely gets his hands up to catch it in time before it smashes his nose in. Keith looks over and sees Damien and his dick squad laughing at him.

“I don't know why you're laughing!” Cassidy calls from next to Keith. “He clearly caught it!”

Damien stops laughing and glares at Cassidy. “Did I ask for your input you bit-”

Keith launches the football right back at Damien before he can finish his sentence. It hits him in the face, causing him to stumble backward. “You don't call girls that, Damien! Lay off!” Keith yells back.

A couple of Damien's dick squad guys advance on Keith, but Hunk and Troy hold Keith back. “Back off or else all the football guys will kick your collective asses!” Troy shouts.

The boys back off but continue to glare in Keith's direction. They'll try to make Keith's time here a living hell, but now Keith knows he has allies when it comes to dealing with the bullies. He's never had that before.

Someone claps their hands together, getting everyone's attention. “Okay everyone!” a woman with long white hair and dark skin exclaims. “My name is Allura Quinn and I am the owner of this camp!” Keith recognizes her from Shiro’s yearbook. She was one of Shiro’s closest friends. “I'd like to personally welcome you all here because I, too, went here for my senior retreat! Back then, my father owned the place and he had my class come here when I attended Altea High. I actually graduated with two of your chaperones, Takashi Shirogane and Matthew Holt!” Both boys wave when Allura says their names. “Anyway, before we come back together for lunch in the main cabin, each table group will spread around the camp so they can play some icebreaker games! I need all group leaders to come up here to get the direction paper and some of the game pieces you'll need.”

Lance hops up from his seat at the table and walks over to where Allura is standing to collect the things they’ll need. Bailey yawns and rests her head on the table. “I wish I could get some coffee instead of playing these stupid games.” She suddenly sits up quickly. “Oh! I didn’t mean anything against you guys!”

Keith scoffs and turns, sticking his legs out and leaning against the table. “None taken…I’d rather be doing anything over this.”

“Even twelve pages of Lotor’s history homework?” Hunk asks with a smirk.

Keith turns and glares at him. “Don’t speak that name here…he might hear you.”

The rest of his table group laughs loudly at his joke just as Lance makes his way back over to them. He has a piece of paper and a plastic bag in his hand with slips of paper inside. “Whatcha laughin about?” Lance plops down next to Keith, not caring that he completely invades Keith’s personal space bubble.

_Maybe he did it on purpose…?_

_No! That’s insane!_

Keith takes a deep breath and brushes aside the confused thoughts running through his head. He stands up and steps over the picnic table bench to sit normally. Keith rests his chin in his hand and waits for Lance to give them directions.

“Okay! Now that McMullet is back with us - like the new nickname? I just thought of it.” Lance winks at Keith before turning back to the group.

If Keith had an aneurysm, blame Lance and his relentless teasing.

Lance chuckles at Keith’s pout. “Anyway, they gave us a list of games we could play. Some of them I’ve never heard of, but here are the few that I think we all know how to play. There’s the Human Knot, Never Have I Ever, 2 Truths 1 Lie-”

“Ah! Let’s play that one first!” Bailey exclaims with a wide smile. “I can go first!”

“Alrighty then! Go ahead,” Lance says.

“Okay…uh…I live on a farm, I have one brother, and I have a cottage I go to every summer,” Bailey finishes.

“I’m calling BS on you living on a farm,” Lance concludes.

Hunk nods. “Yeah - plus I know you have one brother…I know him.”

“I’m with Lance and Hunk,” Cassidy agrees.

Troy and Keith exchange a dull expression then look back at Bailey. “Farm,” they say at the same time.

Bailey giggles. “You guys are right! How’d you figure it out?”

“You don’t look like a farm girl,” Lance replies with a chuckle. “Okay! My turn - Hunk, you’re not allowed to say a thing…you know too much.”

Hunk laughs loudly but nods in agreement. “Fine…I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

“Okay…Spanish is my first language, I lived in Cuba for the first few years of my life, and I have a cat named Blue.” Lance smirks, waiting for everyone to guess.

“I don’t think you have a cat named Blue,” Bailey says while Troy nods in agreement with her.

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Really? I’m not buying the Cuba part. I believe you visit there a lot, but I don’t think you personally have ever lived there.”

“I’m with Keith!” Cassidy exclaims.

“Final answers from everyone?” Lance looks at Hunk. “Would you like to tell them the lie?”

Hunk chuckles. “Sure…Keith and Cassidy are right. Lance never lived in Cuba and only started visiting when he was seven. Then his cat, Blue, is the only thing Lance likes to take pictures of that isn’t himself.”

“Oh my god! Show me a picture of your cat!” Bailey exclaims.

Lance smiles happily and pulls out his phone, opening his camera roll. Keith sees a lot of shirtless selfies on his phone.

Is it wrong that he’s staring?

Nah. Keith’s gone to a couple of Lance’s swim meets so seeing him shirtless isn’t a foreign sight to him.

“Oh! This is a good one!” Lance sets his phone on the table, showing everyone the picture.

Keith leans over and sees Lance kissing the head of a gray cat with striking green eyes. “Isn’t she so pretty? I love her so much.” Lance’s eyes are closed and he has a small smile on his face while the cat stares into the camera. She looks like she’s smiling too…if cats can smile.

Bailey squeals. “SO CUTE!”

“Thanks! She’s the love of my life,” Lance shares as he puts his phone away. “Alright, Mullet, you’re next.”

“Do I have to go?” Keith whines.

“Don’t make me get Shiro over here,” Lance threatens with a smug expression.

Keith glares at Lance. “Fine. I broke my arm when I was five, trying to jump out of a treehouse, I have two pets, and I’m lactose intolerant.”

“Okay, dude, you are not lactose intolerant,” Troy speaks up. “I’ve seen you eat an entire tub of ice cream!” Hunk nods in agreement.

Lance narrows his eyes at Keith. “I don’t think you broke your arm the way you claim you did.”

“Really Lance? I’m with Hunk and Troy on this one,” Cassidy says. “Keith always eats dairy.”

“I’ll be on your team, Lance!” Bailey exclaims.

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Lance and Bailey are right.”

Hunk’s jaw drops. “Dude! Why are you eating dairy if you’re allergic?!”

“It’s mild and mainly in spite against Shiro. I told him I’d build an immunity against it if I keep eating it,” Keith shares.

“Keith, that’s not a thing,” Hunk replies. “I think I’m gonna take you under my wing and monitor what you eat.”

“Not gonna happen, dude,” Keith replies.

Hunk rolls his eyes but drops the conversation. They continue going around the circle until everyone has had a chance to go twice. They move into the game Never Have I Ever and Keith is surprised to see Lance get out first. Keith still had 7 fingers up by the time Lance was down to his last one.

The next game they played was a version of Heads Up, but with written out slits of paper they held on their foreheads. Lance got all the dumb easy ones like car, couch, and dog while Keith got stuck with the super complicated ones like a chandelier, cactus, and peanut butter.

Who the hell came up with those ideas? Well, now that Keith thinks about it, Shiro and Coran probably thought of them. Despite being born in two different decades, they have the same taste in a lot of things Keith finds awful.

Socks with sandals? What the hell were they thinking?!

Currently, Lance has them about to play the Human Knot. “Alright! Everyone reach into the circle and grab a hand!”

Lance stands directly across from Keith. Troy is on Lance’s left side while Bailey is on Lance’s right. Hunk is on Keith’s left while Cassidy is on Keith’s right. Keith reaches in the circle and grabs Bailey’s left hand with his right and feels Lance grab onto his left hand with his right.

Oh, joy…now Keith needs to deal with being hyperaware of his hand being gripped tightly by Lance.

Once everyone has a hand, they all look at Lance for the next step. “Okay, Hunk, go underneath Bailey’s and Keith’s hand,” Lance directs.

Keith and Bailey raise their arm up so Hunk can go underneath. Now Keith’s arms are awkwardly twisted. “Uh, this isn’t comfortable!” Keith complains.

“Noted,” Lance replies. “Okay! Now, Troy, I need you to step over Keith’s and my hands.”

Troy shakes his head no. “Dude, that ain’t gonna work because then I’ll rip Hunk’s arm out of its socket.”

“What? No, you won’t! Just do it,” Lance urges.

Hunk makes a noise of protest. “I need my arms! This is dumb!”

“Yep I’m with Hunk here,” Troy says, letting go of Bailey’s and Hunk’s hands.

Cassidy releases Lance’s and Hunk’s other hand. “Sorry, Lance!”

Keith releases Bailey’s and Lance’s, but Lance holds onto Keith’s a few seconds longer before finally releasing him. It's almost as if Lance didn't want to let go of Keith's hand-

 _No. Don't get your hopes up…they'll just be crushed by reality_ , Keith thinks to himself as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

Cassidy, Bailey, Hunk, and Troy start making their way towards the main cabin, ready and eager to have lunch. Keith hangs back a bit, not really in the mood to eat. He sits back down at the picnic table and fiddles with a loose thread on his shirt. His group seemed to be cool with him, but is that the truth? Or are they just being nice? Keith suddenly gets the urge to steal Shiro’s keys and drive far, far away from this camp. He doesn't really feel like he belongs here. Would anyone miss him? Probably not. Shiro would get distracted with Matt and Allura and Lance had Hunk, where did Keith fit in? Nowhere…

“Keith?” a voice asks. Keith glances up and sees Lance standing in front of him. “Aren't you coming?” He must see a distraught expression on Keith's face because he kneels in front of him with a concerned expression. “You okay?”

Keith looks down at the floor. “Do you actually care or are you just being nice?” Keith knows that's rude, but he needs to know Lance is being sincere.

“Whoa, Keith,” Lance says, sitting down next to him on the bench. “Of course I care. Why else would I be here asking?”

Keith lifts his head up and turns to Lance, trying to study his face for any signs of a lie. Seeing none, his expression softens. “Huh, …that's a good point. Um, I'm just thinking about a lot of things right now, but I don't think I'm ready to share right now…I'm sorry.”

Lance pats Keith's back. “Not a problem my dude! You'll tell me when you're ready.” He jumps to his feet and holds his hand out to Keith. “You ready for some awesome lunch? Rumor has it Hunk’s parents made it!”

Keith smiles and takes Lance’s hand, allowing him to pull Keith to his feet. “The rumors better be true because now I'm expecting a damn good meal.”

Lance laughs and races Keith over to the main cabin.

Keith still might have his doubts, but he knows Lance will be by his side.

 

* * *

 

**Corex Day 1, Afternoon:**

After a delicious hamburger lunch made by the Garett's, Shiro announced that everyone gets some free time now before dinner at 5:00 PM. Keith looks at the clock on the wall and sees that it's 1:15 PM. Three hours and 45 minutes of free time? Uh, hell yeah!

Lance immediately turns to Keith and smirks. “I'll kick your ass at GaGa Ball.”

Keith returns the smirk. “You're on!”

They run out of the main cabin and back over to where the basketball court and GaGa Ball pit is. The rest of their class follows them. Most of the girls stop to go into their cabins, probably to change into their swimsuits to either go in the pool or in the lake.

Or maybe to take a nap - Keith won't judge either decision.

Some of the guys grab a basketball and start playing a game while others join Lance and Keith at the GaGa pit. Hunk claps his hands together. “Alright everyone, I am your impartial referee today. I am highly trained in the sport of GaGa Ball, but will not be competing in today's event.”

“You'd probably kill someone,” Keith comments.

“Keith here is correct! I should use my strength on the football field, not hitting a ball at someone and maybe destroying their kneecap,” Hunk shares. “Shall I go over the rules?”

“Hunk! Get on with it!” Lance yells. “We know how to play!”

“Aww, Lance! I'm just getting into character!” Hunk whines. “Anyway! Before I was so rudely interrupted…the rules of GaGa Ball are quite simple. One person is chosen as the referee, moi, and they’re in charge of ensuring fair play and settling disputes. The game starts after all players are standing in the GaGa court and have said they are ready to start the play and are touching the sides of the pit. I’ll throw the ball up in the air into the pit, then everyone yell “Ga” on the first bounce and “Ga” again on the second bounce before the ball is in play.

“Players can only hit the ball with their hands and can’t carry or throw the ball - it has to be punched/hit with an opened hand/closed fist. Only one successive hit is allowed by each player. Any player hit by the ball below the waist, either directly or a rebound from the wall, is out and must leave the pit. If the ball goes out of the pit, the last player who touched it is out. If a player catches the ball before it bounces, the player who had the last contact with it is out - kind of like in dodgeball. There are no double touches allowed in the game so once someone hits the ball, they must wait for someone else to touch it before they can hit it again.

“Once the game is down to its final two players, a player may hit the ball up to 3 times in a row before the other person has to touch it. The hit count resets once the ball hits the wall, allowing a player to keep the ball for however long they want.”

“HUNK!” Lance yells, clearly getting impatient.

“UGH! Are all participants ready?!” Hunk asks.

Keith’s hand tightens on the edge of the GaGa pit. When it comes to sports or anything competition-wise, Keith’s always out for blood. He’ll do anything to come on top. He has speed and is very nimble on his feet - two strengths not everyone has.

Most of the competition will probably be out right away (sorry Cassidy) due to them not sharing Keith’s thirst to win…his real competition, however, is none other than Lance McClain himself.

Figures.

Anyway, Hunk holds the rubber ball up in the air and tosses it in the middle. Keith watches as the ball bounces once, going back up in the air before coming back down to bounce a second time. Keith wastes no time in punching the ball at one of his classmate’s shins, immediately getting him out.

“Keith with the first KO!” Hunk exclaims. “He’s fast on the football field and baseball diamond so it’s no surprise he’s quick on his feet in the pit!”

“Hunk, are you the announcer too?” Shay asks, walking up next to Hunk.

Keith spares them a quick look, just in time to see them hold hands before jumping away as a classmate smacks the ball at his feet. He punches the ball right back at them, getting them out.

“You bet I am! Another KO for Keith! He just can’t be stopped!” Hunk exclaims.

Keith watches as Lance hits the ball at someone’s feet, causing them to jump up to dodge, but the rebound off the wall brushes past their calf, getting them out. Lance laughs out loud as the ball comes flying past his head, landing in the grass a few feet away.

Now five people remain…Keith, Lance, Cassidy, first baseman, Victor Johnson, and tennis all-star, Max Valentino. Lance steps next to Keith and whispers to him, “Wanna tag team on these chumps?”

Keith raises an eyebrow at him. “Once they’re gone, you know I’m gonna betray you, right?”

Lance smiles widely and pats Keith’s shoulder. “That’s my plan too, buddy.”

Keith ponders his choices: he can either team up with Lance and easily take out the competition or try to get Lance out right away, eliminating his greatest threat.

If he goes with option one his other three classmates will be out of the game right away, leaving him and Lance to fight to the death. It seems like the logical option to go with because all he’d have to do is act faster than Lance. Keith may not do track like Lance does, but Keith does play three sports that require quick movements (football, baseball, and hockey). Football requires Keith to be constantly aware of his surroundings when running the ball towards the end zone to score a touchdown. Baseball requires Keith to be fast on his feet in general. After getting a hit, he needs to run his way around the bases, getting as far as he can without risking getting out. Thanks to his speed, Keith’s been called safe at first base many times after hitting a baseball to the ground infield and sprinting to the base before the ball reaches the first baseman’s glove. The same goes for when Keith steals bases (his favorite thing to do…he even holds the state record for most bases stolen in a single season). He’s well-known for stealing at least two bases per game. He’s only been caught once due to a wrong call by an umpire, but other than that he’s gotten away with it. Then, with hockey, he needs to make quick turns on the ice because anything goes in hockey. If he gets checked and falls on the ground, he has to get up within a couple seconds and try to get the puck back to score.

If he goes with option two his greatest threat is gone, but now needs to deal with three other people on his own. Cassidy is very spastic when it comes to playing GaGa Ball so she’s a wild card. Keith can’t read her method (probably because she doesn’t have one). Victor’s strength is his aim and power. He holds the state record for most home runs in a single season. However, his weakness is his speed and agility. Due to a knee injury from a car accident when he was little, he can’t run properly, causing him to be significantly slower. All Keith needs to do is catch him when he can’t get out of the way quick enough. Max has fantastic aim like Victor does and is just as fast and nimble as Keith, making him a tough opponent. His weakness is that he doesn’t look at his surroundings. Since tennis requires one to look forward for the most part, Max uses that in anything he does…Keith will have to get him from the side.

Hunk arrives back with the ball, breaking Keith out of his train of thought. Keith looks across at Lance and nods at him, signaling that he’ll work with Lance. Hopefully, Lance won’t betray Keith like Keith thought about betraying Lance.

Keith would rather work with Lance versus dealing with the amount of complaining he’ll get an earful of if he gets Lance out right away.

It’s definitely not because Keith has a crush on the guy or anything…

_Cough_

Hunk tosses the ball back in the center and Keith waits for two bounces before charging at the ball. He punches it towards Victor who easily dodges, allowing the ball to bounce on the wall before sending it back at Keith.

Keith’s eyes widen and he panics for a split second before jumping backwards onto his butt, letting the ball travel past him right at Cassidy. She yelps in surprise, but doesn’t dodge in time. The ball hits her in the thigh.

She glares at Keith. “Thanks for nothing!”

Keith shrugs from the ground. “If it makes you feel any better, now my ass is probably covered in dirt.”

Cassidy giggles. “It helps a little.”

Keith smiles at her before getting up off the ground. His hands are covered in dirt and sand - he’ll definitely have to go into the lake after this if he wants to get this off.

Lance takes the opportunity to send the ball at Max, getting him on the foot. He yells in frustration and hops out of the pit. Keith and Lance faceoff against Victor.

“Whoa! You two can’t form an alliance! That’s not fair!” Victor complains. “Ref! Do something!”

Hunk strokes his chin dramatically. “I’ll allow it. Overruled!” He pretends to use a gavel like a judge would.

“I didn’t know this was _Judge Judy_ ,” Cassidy comments.

“Maybe it is!” Hunk retorts.

Keith ignores his friends’ squabbles as Lance tosses the ball back into play. Keith waits for the ball to bounce twice before going after it, but Victor beats him to it and whacks it straight at him. Keith’s eyes widen in fear and he tries to dodge, but the ball hits him square in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He stumbles back and lands on his butt again, hitting his head against the walls of the pit.

“Bro! Keith! Are you okay?!” Victor asks, concerned. “I didn’t mean to hit you there! I’m sorry!”

Lance immediately hurries over to Keith and kneels in the dirt/sand next to him. “Keith?”

Keith tries to form words, but all he can do is focus on trying to get air back into his lungs and the splitting headache he has. It feels like someone dropped a boulder onto his chest, completely deflating his lungs. His vision becomes splotchy, but he refuses to pass out. Keith reaches for something to hold onto and finds himself gripping Lance’s hand tightly.

His breathing moves from short and sporadic to calm and slow, finally catching his breath. He stands back up, using Lance’s hand and arm as support. The crowd that surrounded the pit to watch the game claps when Keith stands.

Keith releases Lance’s hand and looks at Victor. “I’m good, dude. It’ll take a lot more than that to kill me.”

Victor laughs. “Oh, thank god! I thought I killed our best shortstop!”

“Don’t forget left wide receiver!” Hunk adds. “Well, due to hitting Keith in the gut, you’re out Vic.”

Victor shrugs. “That’s fair.”

Lance furrows his eyebrows in concern and grabs Keith’s face, forcing him to look at Lance. “You hit your head. You could have a concussion.”

“I’m fine, Lance,” Keith replies, face slightly squished. He pushes Lance’s hand off his face. “You wanna just call it a tie between us?”

Lance nods. “Yeah and we’re getting you an ice pack.”

Keith smirks and hops out of the GaGa pit. “Or we can go in the lake.”

Hunk nods. “I second that!” He sighs at Lance’s expression. “I’ve seen Keith deal with worse, he’s fine.”

Lance rolls his eyes. “Whatever, but I warned you!”

Keith shoves Lance playfully before leading them to their cabin to grab their swimsuits. He hears Lance snicker from behind him. “Uh, Keith? You got a little something on your ass.”

Keith whirls around and sees the dirt and sand covering the back of his shorts. He looks back up at Lance and raises an eyebrow. “Why are you looking at my ass in the first place?”

Hunk laughs. “Ahh! Good one, Keith!”

Lance huffs and crosses his arms, pouting. “Whatever.” A light blush brushes across his cheeks as they enter the cabin. Keith walks over to his red duffle bag and digs around for his red swim trunks that have a white waistband and a double curved line design on the side that starts up at the waistband, curving down by the end of the trunks before curving back up (the outer white curve is thicker than the inner one at the bottom of the shorts), sunscreen, towel and other swimming necessities he might need. He turns to see if Lance and Hunk are ready, but laughs when he sees Lance’s swim trunks. His and Keith’s are nearly identical except the double curved line designs on Lance’s are the opposite direction of Keith’s (starting at the bottom of the shorts and curving at the hip) and his waistline is blue like the rest of his suit.

“What’s so funny?!” Lance asks accusingly as he stands up straight from digging in his bag. “Not everyone has a nice ass like you, _Keith_ , jeez!”

Keith snorts. “I wasn’t looking at your ass, Lance. I’m not a perv like you. I was laughing at our nearly matching swim trunks!”

Lance looks down at his own trunks before looking at the ones in Keith’s hands. “Huh…Target?” Keith nods. Lance snaps his fingers and aims finger guns at Keith. “Aye! Nice! Hunk has some like these too, but they’re yellow and have a single white stripe down both sides. His waistband is white like yours though!” He scoops up his towel, suit, and other stuff. “Let’s get changed and head to the lake! Wait there’s a bathroom in here. I’ll go first!”

Before Keith can protest, Lance is already in the bathroom, locking the door. Keith rolls his eyes and goes to plop down on his bed, but decides against it at the last second…his butt is dirty. Seeing as none of his other cabin mates are in the room, Keith takes his shorts off, leaving his boxers on, and puts them in one of the plastic bags he packed to use for dirty clothes. He gracefully takes his shirt off and puts it in the bag too.

“Okay, all yours - AHH!” Lance screams from behind him.

Keith jumps and drops the plastic bag and turns to see Lance staring at him with wide eyes. “What?!” Keith asks, worried.

“WHY ARE YOU STRIPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM?!” Lance shrieks.

“I have boxers on! Why are you freaking out!?”

“THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT BETTER!” Lance covers his eyes and turns around. “Goddammit, Keith! Have a sense of modesty!”

Keith snatches his swimming stuff from his bed and stomps over to Lance. “We’re both dudes! Who gives a shit!?”

Lance refuses to turn around so Keith smacks him with his towel across his back before going into the bathroom. “HEY! JACKASS!” Lance yells at Keith.

Keith quickly changes into his swimming stuff and walks out of the bathroom. “You done freaking - why are you on my bed?”

Lance looks up from his position on Keith’s bed. He’s sprawled out all over it like he owns the damn place, scrolling through his - wait is that Keith’s phone?!

“Is that my phone?!” Keith demands. He snatches it out of Lance’s hand, finding the camera opened. “What the hell!?”

Lance smirks and gets off the bed. “You have some lovely selfies of me in there now.” He grabs a light blue towel and a red towel off his own bed (when did Keith’s towel get on there?) and walks over to the door. “You ready?”

“Uh, I don’t know about you, but I need like five hundred coats of sunscreen,” Keith replies. He grabs the spray and starts spraying his neck, chest, stomach, arms, and legs before rubbing it in. He looks up at Lance, who has probably decided that sunscreen would be a good idea, and sees him spraying sunscreen on himself. “Lance? Do you mind getting my back?”

Lance stops what he’s doing and walks over to Keith. “Sure.” He takes the bottle from Keith and reads it. “SPF 60?! Dude!”

Keith lifts his hair off his neck. “I fry like nobody’s business! Just - AHH COLD!”

Keith yelps as Lance sprays the _freezing_ sunscreen on his back. He hears Lance giggling behind him. “Oh, this is fun torturing you like this!” Lance exclaims.

He finishes spraying Keith’s back, neck, and shoulders and begins to rub it in. Keith immediately feels heat rush to his face when Lance’s soft, _warm_ hands make their way around his back. They make their way down Keith’s spine to where his shorts start then move up to his neck and shoulders. “Oh, damn…your shoulders are tense as hell, dude. You should let me massage them sometime.”

Keith turns his head to look at Lance. “Seriously?”

Lance’s cheeks flush. “Uh…I mean if you want me - never mind…I shouldn’t have offered. That was weird of me. I’m-”

“No! I’d like that, actually,” Keith says, almost in a whisper.

Lance smiles widely before promptly smacking Keith’s ass. “Good!”

Keith yelps again and glares at Lance. “Hey! What-” Another container of sunscreen comes at him and Keith nearly catches it before it hits him in the face.

“You gotta return the favor, dude!” Lance exclaims, turning around.

Keith takes a deep breath… _here we go_.

He twists the cap of the bottle so the spray hole is showing before spraying Lance’s back. Lance shrieks and jumps away from Keith. “THAT’S FREEZING!”

“Now you know my pain,” Keith replies. “Now let me finish!”

Keith continues spraying Lance’s back, neck, and shoulders, slightly enjoying the way Lance squirms uncomfortably at the coldness of the sunscreen. Once finished, Keith hands the bottle back to Lance and begins rubbing it in.

 _Wow, Lance’s skin is smooth_ , Keith thinks to himself, making a mental note.

Keith’s calloused fingers probably don’t feel as nice as Lance’s hands would. He moves his hands up to Lance’s neck and shoulders, trying to go as slowly as possible to relish in this time where he can actually touch Lance’s skin without it being weird…

Okay, Keith just made it weird.

Keith pulls his hands away quickly and steps away from Lance, desperately trying to hide his blush. “I just need to put some on my face and we can go.”

“Oh, I can do that too if you want! Just in case you miss a spot,” Lance offers with a smile.

Keith avoids eye contact with Lance and shakes his head no. “That’s okay…thanks anyway.” He hurries into the bathroom, leaving a confused/hurt Lance in the main part of the cabin. Keith quickly shuts the door and slaps his forehead.

“Idiot,” Keith mutters to himself before going up to the mirror to put the sunscreen on his face. He quickly applies it to his nose, cheeks, chin, forehead, and ears before walking out of the bathroom. “Okay! I’m-”

Keith looks around for Lance, but doesn’t see him anywhere. Did he leave without Keith?

Keith furrows his eyebrows in confusion/hurt. His chest tightens and he closes his eyes. _He can’t get upset about this. Nothing was happening. Nothing happened._

He takes a deep breath and releases it before grabbing his towel and putting on his sliders, making his way towards the lake. Keith passes by the group of boys still playing basketball and steps onto the sidewalk. He glances to his left, passing by the bathrooms/showers and the hallway entrance to the pool, located between the boys’ and girls’ bathrooms/showers. He peeks in and sees that most of the girls are in there chatting in the shallow end. Keith looks to his right and sees the recreational cabin up the small hill where their nighttime activity will take place…whatever that is.

Keith passes by some more picnic tables before reaching the asphalt that leads to the main cabin. He takes a left onto the sand and follows the path down to where his other classmates are playing in the lake. He arrives and spots Lance’s towel near some other ones. Keith puts his shoes next to them and sets his towel down on them.

He turns and searches for his friends. Keith spots Hunk waving to him so Keith rushes into the water, ignoring the cold, and makes his way over. He sees Cassidy, Shay, and Gwen hanging with Lance and Hunk.

“What took you so long?” Hunk wonders.

“Caking on a bunch of sunscreen,” Keith replies.

Gwen nods and holds her hand out for a high five. “Amen brother.”

Keith chuckles and gives her a high five. “Pale people for the win?”

“Oh, hell yeah!” Gwen exclaims.

“Okay enough with your guys’ pale skins! We gotta go in deeper for the waves!” Shay exclaims, already wading her way deeper into the water. Hunk quickly follows her.

Cassidy grabs Gwen’s arm and drags her over to some of their other friends who are in the shallower part of the water. Keith tries to make out who is over there, but someone clears their throat behind him. He turns and sees Lance beckoning for Keith to follow. “Oh, so now you’re gonna wait for me?”

Lance sighs and holds his hand out for Keith. “Look, I’m sorry I ditched you, but I thought you wanted to be alone. You ran into the bathroom and I took that as a sign to leave.”

Keith looks away from Lance. “I…” He closes his eyes. “Never mind. Let’s just catch up with Hunk and Shay.”

He starts to wade towards where Hunk and Shay are playing in the waves, but Lance stops him, grabbing Keith’s shoulders so he’ll look at Lance. “Keith, what’s bothering you? You can trust me.”

Keith huffs. “Lance, it’s not about trust. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“You can’t keep pushing everyone away, Keith. I can help you”

“I don’t want your help right now, Lance. Can’t you see I don’t want to talk about it right now? Please, just don’t push me right now…please.” Keith looks down at the water.

Lance sighs and releases Keith’s shoulders. “Fine, but I expect to be told later.” He holds his hand out again. “Wipe that frown upside down and come have fun. I promise I’ll let it go.”

Keith sighs and takes Lance’s hand, ignoring the jittery feeling he has in his heart. “Lead the way.”

Lance cheers happily and guides Keith to where Hunk and Shay are. “How are the waves?!”

Shay turns and smiles widely at Lance and Keith. “BIG!”

Lance releases Keith’s hand and cheers with the rest of the kids in the lake as another huge wave comes by. Keith smiles and jumps in the water, being carried slightly back in the water.

He laughs when Hunk pushes Lance down into the water. Lance pops back up to the surface and shakes his head, spraying water everywhere. “HUNK!” Lance exclaims, voice cracking. “Oh damn.”

Shay, Hunk, and Keith burst out laughing at Lance’s voice crack. “Someone finally hit puberty!” Shay exclaims, teasing him.

 _His voice may be getting it now, but the rest of him struck gold long ago_ , Keith comments to himself.

Lance lunges himself at Keith, taking them both down into the water. Keith closes his eyes and holds his breath, gripping tightly onto Lance’s biceps so when he goes to the surface, he’ll take Keith too.

A few more seconds pass and Lance lifts them both up. Keith spits out water to the side and lightly punches Lance’s arm. “Dude! What the hell!?”

“You were laughing at me! I had to get revenge!” Lance exclaims, laughing.

Keith shakes his head, spraying Lance with water before flipping his hair out of his face. He looks back at Lance and sees him with a soft expression, jaw slacked slightly…almost as if he’s in awe at something. Keith looks behind him to see if anyone is doing anything, but no one is behind him. He turns back to Lance and sees him looking away, slightly flustered. “You okay?”

Lance looks back up at Keith with wide eyes. “Yep! Never better!”

“Another wave is coming! Get ready!” Hunk exclaims.

Keith releases Lance and stands beside him, getting ready for the next wave. _Maybe this retreat won’t be the end of the world…maybe_ -

The wave crashes onto Keith while he’s distracted and he goes underwater. _Uh oh_.

Keith struggles to find his way back to the surface, but someone pulls him up. He coughs up some lake water while someone pats his back. “Keith, you okay?” Lance asks.

Keith nods. “Yeah! I wasn’t expecting the wave that soon.”

Lance chuckles. “Maybe if you get your head out of the clouds, you wouldn’t have that problem!”

Keith shoves him away playfully and splashes him. Lance gasps, offended. “Oh no, you don’t! Get back here!” Lance exclaims after Keith as he swims away from Lance.

“Hunk! Help!” Keith shouts.

Hunk turns and sees Lance chasing Keith back to the sandbar. “I don’t think so, Lance!” Hunk laughs and starts chasing after Lance.

“Betrayed by my own best friend?! WHY I NEVER - eep!” Lance squeals as Keith jumps onto his back.

“Tackle!” Keith exclaims, tackling Lance down into the shallow water on the sandbar.

“That’s not even your position in football!” Lance exclaims from beneath Keith.

Keith shrugs. “That sounds like a _you_ problem. I-” A small wave of water splashes Keith in the face, causing him to retreat off Lance. Keith coughs and rubs his eyes to see Shay helping Lance up.

“Shay! You traitor!” Hunk exclaims.

“You picked Keith so I picked Lance!” Shay exclaims. “SPLASH FIGHT!” She sends another small wave of water at Hunk.

Keith laughs and splashes water at Lance before tackling him again. Lance laughs loudly and starts wrestling with Keith. Both boys are careful not to hold the other underwater too long.

They continue doing this for a while until all of them start to prune. Once satisfied with the surrender from Lance and Shay, Hunk and Keith agree to get out of the lake to rinse off and put some clothes on. As they grab their towels, Keith glances at his shoulders and notices them turning pink. “Whoops…probably shoulda reapplied.”

Lance laughs at Keith. “You’re so pale, dude.”

“Shut up!” Keith puts the towel over his head so it rests just above his forehead. “I know what I am, don’t remind me.”

Lance bumps hips with Keith and smiles widely at him. “Race ya to the showers?”

Keith smirks. “You’re on!”

Both boys laugh as they take off running towards the showers.

So, the free time part of Corex might not suck after all, according to Keith, but who knows what after dinner has in store for them.

Keith would be dreading it, but, thanks to Lance, Hunk, and Shay this afternoon, he has some hope for something good.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I did writing!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated!  
> Tumblr: [keithpoenewt](http://keithpoenewt.tumblr.com/)


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